State media reported that a six-year-old girl from China has set a new women's world record for solving the 3x3 Rubik's Cube, completing it in just over four seconds.
The young speedcuber, Liang Yunchi, broke the average world record for the women's 3x3 category twice this month at two competitions certified by the World Cube Association. These competitions were held in Wuhan and Guangzhou, according to state broadcaster CCTV on Monday.
She demonstrated average times of 4.52 and 4.27 seconds after five successful solves of the Rubik's Cube. CCTV added that Liang, who is from Chengdu, became 'the first female speedcuber to achieve an average time below 4.5 seconds.'
A video published by CCTV showed the little girl wearing a red checkered bow on her head, skillfully rotating and turning the Rubik's Cube. After finishing the puzzle, she places the cube on the table, claps her hands, and raises her fist in the air.
Under the pseudonym 'Zhizhi', Liang was first introduced to the Rubik's Cube after starting school as a child—it was one of various extracurricular activities alongside dance and music lessons, her mother Lin Yang told local media.
Lin explained that she 'gradually realized' that cube training was 'an excellent activity for developing a child's all-around abilities,' and shifted her focus to this hobby, she told the Chengdu newspaper Red Star News.
According to Lin, her daughter has mastered over 1300 Rubik's Cube solving algorithms and practices it for two to three hours daily. Photos from Red Star News show Liang's trophies displayed on a shelf at home.
Her mother emphasized that solving the Rubik's Cube improves concentration, memory, logical thinking, spatial perception, and promotes a healthy attitude towards victories and defeats. She added that it is not just about rote memorization of formulas but also about using logical reasoning to find optimal solutions.